Friday, March 8, 2013

TGTBATQ: William & Mary 72, Hofstra 59 (Or: Our déjà vu déjà vu)

(Note: I have been terribly derelict about posting game
recaps this season, partially because I’ve been busy with work and fatherhood
but mostly because this season has been devastatingly depressing. However, I hate
the idea of not properly archiving these games, so to speak, so I came up with
a compromise that will allow me to chronicle #HofstraPun the season in a basic,
quick-hit fashion. So welcome to The Good, The Bad & The Quirky. Or, as I like to call it, TGTBATQ. Pretty
self-explanatory, and probably something I should consider employing from the
start next year so that I don’t fall into this trap again. Enjoy!)

THE GOOD: David Imes began his final month of regular season
play in impressive fashion with a team-high 16 points (on 7-of-12 shooting) and
seven rebounds. (Not that I’m psychic or anything, but it’s a sign of things to
come) Stevie Mejia had 11 points, four rebounds, four assists and no turnovers,
the first (and thus far only) time all season he had an infinite
assist-to-turnover ration. Stephen Nwaukoni sat for the first 27 minutes
because of a coach’s decision but racked up 10 points (on 4-of-5 shooting) and
seven rebounds the rest of the way.

THE BAD: Mejia was just 3-of-14 from the floor. Taran Buie
(3-of-18) was even worse as his epic shooting slump deepened (yeah, that was a
sign of things to come too). Hard to win in a guard-heavy league when your
starters are 6-of-32 from the field. Outside of Imes, Nwaukoni and Jordan Allen
(2-of-2 shooting), the Dutchmen were an ice-cold 8-of-40 shooting. Ironically,
in that it’s not ironic at all, this happened on Groundhog Day. The Dutchmen
trailed by at least nine points for the final 34 minutes. And William &
Mary star Tim “Beasthoven” Rusthoven ate the Dutchmen up to the tune of 17
points and 16 rebounds. #BEASTHOVEN indeed.

THE QUIRKY: Jody Card, the Iraq veteran who joined the
Dutchmen after the morons were kicked off the team, made his season debut by
playing in the final minute. He became the 27th walk-on to play for
Hofstra this season (I may be exaggerating a tad). Allen became the first
Hofstra player to foul out since he fouled out against Delaware on Jan. 9, a
span of six games. William & Mary beat the Dutchmen 72-59 a mere 21 days
after Hofstra beat the Fighting Bill Lawrences 70-59. Sure, it sounds
meaningless, but you wouldn’t be saying that if the CAA would only use the
CBA’s old tiebreaker rules! (That one is for @NUHF)